Mounting decorative shutters or panels on building walls

ABSTRACT

The invention contemplates a combination including a simulation of a window shutter or a panel, a mounting bracket to be secured on a wall, and a locking member yieldingly separably coactive with a portion of the bracket, whereby the shutter can be tilted and attached to one end of the bracket, then pressed against the bracket and releasably held on the bracket by separable engagement of the locking member with said portion of the bracket, in partially overlying relation to the face of the shutter.

[76] Inventor:

Greene 7 MOUNTING DECORATIVE SHUTTERS OR PANELS ON BUILDING WALLS Samuel Greene, 18 Underwood Drive, West Orange, NJ. [22] Filed: July 26, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 166,069

[52] US. Cl. ..52/473, 248/225 [51] Int. Cl. ..E04c 2/38, E06b 7/08 [58] Field of Search ..248/201, 223, 224, 248/225, 488; 52/473, 475, 509, 718, 511; 160/369 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,548,555 12/1970 Trostle et al ..52/656 X 3,188,038 6/1965 Grout ..248/223 2,367,657 l/1945 Boersma 3,165,287 l/1965 Parsons ..248/224 [451 Apr. 17, 1973 Primary Examiner-J. Franklin Foss Atmmey-Harry B. Rook [57] ABSTRACT The invention contemplates a combination including a '1 by separable engagement of the locking member with said portion of the bracket, in partially overlying relation to the face of the shutter.

6Chlms,10DrawingFigures PATENTED APR 1 H975 SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR. 0/774161 Greene HT TORNE PATENTEDAPRIYIW 3,727. 361

SHEET 2 UF 2 1 N VENTOR. 50/774/6/ 6/66/76 MOUNTING DECORATIVE SHU'I'IERS OR PANELS ON BUILDING WALLS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to the mounting of shutters or panels on a wall, especially imitation decorative shutters and particularly on a brick faced building wall.

2. The Prior Art Panels or shutters have been hingedly connected to walls or have been secured on walls by fasteners such as special nails driven through the shutters directly into the wall, or by screws which require pre-drilled holes in the wall.

In other cases, shutters have been permanently mounted on brackets that are permanently securedon a wall.

These prior art practices are deficient in that either the application of the shutters to walls causes excessive expenditure of time and trouble, or it is difficult or impossible to remove the shutters or panels without damage to the shutters or the walls, for any purpose, for

example, for permitting repairs or painting of the shutters or the walls behind the shutters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the term shutter" is intended to include shutters, panels and similar articles, and primary objects of the present invention are to provide a shutter mounting which shall overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, and to provide a novel and improved construction and combination of a shutter and a mounting bracket, whereby the shutter can be easily and quickly mounted or installed without penetration of the shutter by fasteners and the shutter can be easily and quickly removed without damage to the shutter or wall, for example, to permit repair or painting of the shutter or the wall.

It is another object to provide in such a shutter mounting a novel and improved construction and combination of a shutter, a bracket secured to the wall without the necessity for drilling holes, and means for releasably locking the shutter on the bracket whereby the bracket can be easily and quickly fastened on a wall by fasteners, for example, nails, and the shutter can be easily and quickly applied to and removed from the bracket with a simple tilting action and can be releasably locked on and disconnected from the bracket by a relatively unskilled person.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the invention,

reference should be had to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a decorative shutter mounting embodying the invention showing the shutter mounted on the wall of a building and with portions of the shutter broken away for clearness in illustration;

FIG. 1A is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line lA-IA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a detached composite sectional and elevational view of the bracket, shutter and locking member in partially assembled relation, showing the manner of attaching the shutter to the bracket;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 3-3 of-FlG. l;

FIG. 4 is a detached perspective view on an enlarged scale of the bracket;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the locking member and the manner of attaching it to the bracket a portion of which is shown in dot-and-dash lines;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view on the plane of the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the locking member taken approximately from the plane of the line 7 -7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of the DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention contemplates the mounting of a shutter of any suitable construction on a wall or other suitable support, more particularly on a brick building wall. The shutter A may be of any suitable construction but as shown comprises a frame having side stiles connected at their ends by rails, and the stiles are formed at the rear side of the frame so that one stile can be connected through a tilting action to one end of a mounting bracket B secured to support, and then the frame can be swung against the bracket and releasably locked on the bracket by a locking member yieldingly separably connected to a portion of the bracket and overlying the front side of the frame. In FIGS. 1 to 7 of the drawings the shutter comprises a metal frame having side walls or stiles 1, end walls or rails 2 and a front perimetral flange 3 which overlies a corrugated imitation shutter sheet 7 to form the face of the shutter. The side walls I have flanges for attaching the shutter to the mounting bracket B.

The attaching flanges are formed by the edge portions of the side walls 1 bent inwardly toward each other as indicated at 4 then outwardly toward the front flanges as indicated at 5 and then turned inwardly at their edges toward each other as indicated at 6 to form seats for the imitation shutter sheet 7 the edge portions of which are loosely interposed between the inner side of the front flange 3 and the seats 6 and in abutting relation to the side and end walls.

The portion 5 of one sidewall and the seat 6 also coacts with one end of the bracket B for separably conand the corresponding inturned flange 5 are seated y when the shutter is assembled on the bracket as shown in FIG. 3. I

The bracket is shown as a strip of sheet metal having a main flat portion 9 to lie against the wall and provided with holes 10 to receive nails especially designed to be driven into cement or mortar, or other fastening members. One end of the bracket has an upturned end portion 11 from which projects a flange 11a to be inserted between the seat 6 and the shutter sheet 7, while the other end of the bracket has an upstanding flange forming a prong 12 to coact with the angle-shaped locking member 13 for securing the shutter on the bracket. The prong 12 is of a size and shape to fit into a slot 14 in one arm 15 of the locking member whose other arm 16 is adapted to abut the face flange 3 of the shutter. The slot 14 has an inwardly tapered mouth portion to slide easily over the correspondingly tapered end of the prong, and intermediate its length, the slot has ledges 17 to hook under oppositely extending undercut shoulders 18 on the edges of the prong, the arm 15 of the locking member also having a transverse longitudinally extending slot 19 intersecting the slot 14 so that portions of the arm at opposite sides of the slot may expand and contract to cause coaction of the ledges 17 with the shoulders 18 on the prong. This slot also permits the easy disconnection of the locking member from the prong, for example, by inserting the bit of a screwdriver or other tool into the slot and manipulating the tool to spread the slot and spring the ledges 17 out of engagement with the lugs 18.

The manner of mounting and dismounting the shutter will be clear from an inspection of FIGS. 2 and 3. The bracket is first secured on the wall as by driving nails 21 or other suitable fastening members into the wall, for example in the mortar joints 23 between the bricks 24 of the wall. The bracket having been attached to the wall as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the shutter is then tilted as shown in FIG. 2 so as to press the flange 11a of the bracket onto the seat 6 on the side wall of the shutter, that is, insert the flange 11a between said seat and the shutter sheet 7; and then the shutter is tilted to press the other side wall and the flange portion 5 into the space between the lugs 8 and the prong 12. Then, the locking member 13 is pushed onto the prong 12 by fitting the prong into the slot 14 of the locking member and pressing the locking member toward the shutter until the ledges 17 of the locking member snap under the shoulders 18 of the prong; and at the same time the arm 16 of the locking member is pressed tightly against the front flange 3 of the shutter. The lugs 8 prevent such lateral movement of the shutter as would separate the bracket flange from the seat 6, and said flange 11a in the seat and the locking member 13 on the prong 12 firmly hold the shutter against falling or being pulled away from the wall.

The shutter may be removed by simply first separating the locking member from the prong 12 and then swinging the shutter about the bracket flange 11 outwardly away from the wall as shown in FIG. 2 and then pulling the shutter away from the bracket flange 11. Any desired number of brackets may be utilized, and the locking members may or may not be molded to simulate a hinge as shown, especially where the shutter is disposed close to a window frame E in the wall, as shown.

In some cases where a wooden or plastic shutter is to be mounted, a form of bracket illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 is preferred. This bracket C has a main flat portion 25 at one end of which is a prong 26 like the prong 12 and the lugs 27 like the lugs 8. Instead of the flange 11, the bracket has an upstanding end flange 28 from which project integral sharp prongs 29 to penetrate into the stile 30 of the wooden or plastic shutter D as shown in FIG. 9. The stile 30 is forced onto the prongs 29 in a manner similar to that in which the seat 6 is engaged with the flange 1 1, with the shutter initially tilted as shown in FIG. 2 and then pressed against the bracket where it is held by a locking member which may be identical with the member 13.

As shown, it is desirable that the lugs 8 and 27 be located and shaped to cause the edges of the lugs to be wedged against or bite into the flange 5 of the shutter frame (FIG. 3) as the shutter is pressed onto the bracket about the flange 11, 11a as a pivot (FIG. 2) so that after the shutter is mounted on the bracket, the lugs restrain movement of the shutter in its own plane on the bracket.

It will be understood that the shape and dimensions of the bracket will be made to accommodate the construction of the shutter, and it is desirable that the flange 1 1a be corrugated to conform more or less to the shape of the corrugations in the shutter sheet 7 thereby to aid in preventing longitudinal movement of the mounted shutter in its own plane, that is, up and down movement in FIG. 1. i

I claim:

1. The combination of a shutter frame having side stiles connected at their ends by rails, each stile having a front wall, a back wall, an outer side wall and an inner side wall, and at least one stile having an inwardly opening recess in its inner side wall, a mounting bracket to be fixedly secured on a support and having a projection at one end to be separably inserted in said recess, the bracket having an upstanding flange at its other end and an upstanding lug spaced inwardly therefrom to receive the other stile separably between them with said lug frictionally engaging the inner side wall of said other stile, and an angle-shaped locking member having one arm separably connectible to said upstanding flange with the other arm in partially overlying relation to the front wall of the corresponding stile, providing for the releasable holding of said shutter against movement in its own plane and against falling or being pulled away from said support.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said frame is formed of sheet metal and each stile has a front wall, an outer side wall whose edge portions are bent inwardly toward each other to provide said inner side wall and then outwardly toward the front wall and then inwardly at its edge toward the other stile in spaced relation to the front wall providing said recess as a recessed seat, and said projection on the bracket is inserted into said recessed seat. v

3. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said bracket comprises a metal strip having a main portion to lie against said support and having an upturned portion from which extends said projection parallel to said main portion, providing for mounting of the shutter by initial insertion of said projection into said recess while the shutter is tilted and then swinging the shutter about said projection and recess as a hinge and pressing the other stile into the space between said upstanding flange and said lug and thereafter connecting the first-mentioned arm of said locking member to said upstanding flange to releasably lock the shutter on the bracket.

4. The combination as defined in claim 3 wherein said lug bites into the inner wall of the corresponding stile to hold the shutter against movement in its own plane on the bracket.

5. The Combination as defined in claim 8 wherein said stiles are formed of penetrable material, and said projection on the bracket has a sharp prong which forms said recess in the stile by penetration of said penetrable material.

6. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the first-mentioned arm of said locking member has a first slot opening through one end thereof to receive said upstanding projection at the end of the bracket and also has a second slot intersecting the first slot provid- 

1. The combination of a shutter frame having side stiles connected at their ends by rails, each stile having a front wall, a back wall, an outer side wall and an inner side waLl, and at least one stile having an inwardly opening recess in its inner side wall, a mounting bracket to be fixedly secured on a support and having a projection at one end to be separably inserted in said recess, the bracket having an upstanding flange at its other end and an upstanding lug spaced inwardly therefrom to receive the other stile separably between them with said lug frictionally engaging the inner side wall of said other stile, and an angleshaped locking member having one arm separably connectible to said upstanding flange with the other arm in partially overlying relation to the front wall of the corresponding stile, providing for the releasable holding of said shutter against movement in its own plane and against falling or being pulled away from said support.
 2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said frame is formed of sheet metal and each stile has a front wall, an outer side wall whose edge portions are bent inwardly toward each other to provide said inner side wall and then outwardly toward the front wall and then inwardly at its edge toward the other stile in spaced relation to the front wall providing said recess as a recessed seat, and said projection on the bracket is inserted into said recessed seat.
 3. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said bracket comprises a metal strip having a main portion to lie against said support and having an upturned portion from which extends said projection parallel to said main portion, providing for mounting of the shutter by initial insertion of said projection into said recess while the shutter is tilted and then swinging the shutter about said projection and recess as a hinge and pressing the other stile into the space between said upstanding flange and said lug and thereafter connecting the first-mentioned arm of said locking member to said upstanding flange to releasably lock the shutter on the bracket.
 4. The combination as defined in claim 3 wherein said lug bites into the inner wall of the corresponding stile to hold the shutter against movement in its own plane on the bracket.
 5. The combination as defined in claim 8 wherein said stiles are formed of penetrable material, and said projection on the bracket has a sharp prong which forms said recess in the stile by penetration of said penetrable material.
 6. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the first-mentioned arm of said locking member has a first slot opening through one end thereof to receive said upstanding projection at the end of the bracket and also has a second slot intersecting the first slot providing for expansion and contraction of the portions of said arm at opposite sides of the first slot, and said first slot and said upstanding flange have ledges and shoulders, respectively, yieldingly interlocking upon expansion and contraction of said portions of the arm and yieldingly separable upon expansion of said portions so as to permit removal of said locking member from the bracket and shoulder. 